“He was a model husband, loving and compassionate, and a son who never gave his family any problems when he was growing up,” said his wife, Kari Bauer, in a statement issued by her and Bauer’s parents.

Bauer joined the Army in October 2004. He completed Infantry One Station Unit Training and the Basic Airborne Course in March 2005 at Fort Benning, Ga., the military said.

He reported to the 82nd Airborne Division in August 2005 and was assigned as an assistant gunner.

“Staff Sgt. Bauer was an exceptional leader, twice tested in combat deployments with the battalion over the last two years,” said Lt. Col. Louis Zeisman, commander of the battalion.

“While this loss will be long and deeply felt by all of us, his legacy will remain; measured by the high caliber of the soldiers he led and the tremendous respect he had earned from his peers and superiors alike,” Zeisman said in a statement.

A 2002 graduate of Berthoud High School north of Denver, Bauer planned to move back to Colorado to be with his family when he got out of the Army, his family said.

Bauer was a standout lineman while playing for the school’s football team and also wrestled.

Kari Bauer said her husband wanted to start a family and rejoin the local fire department.

She said her husband would be remembered for his humor, among other qualities.

“He always made people laugh and kept us all entertained,” she said. “Everyone enjoyed being around him.”

In addition to his wife and parents, Gregory Bauer, of LaSalle, Colo., and Connie Haddock, of Loveland, Colo., Bauer is survived by two younger brothers.

His unit will hold a memorial service in Iraq on Friday. A funeral will be held in Colorado at a later date.